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Morning Briefing

Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

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Thursday, Nov 14 2019

Full Issue

How Bernie's Heart Attack Became A Wake-Up Call For Supporters Rather Than Political Death Knell It Might Have Been

Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) standing in the 2020 Democratic primary has only grown since his heart attack, proving that the political thinking of days passed may no longer apply to the current landscape. Meanwhile, Sanders has made some lifestyle changes post-attack.

Since he was rushed to a Las Vegas hospital in early October, the Vermont senator has flourished in early-state polls, held some of the biggest rallies of any Democratic candidate, and scored the endorsements of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other members of the so-called 鈥淪quad.鈥 The curmudgeonly candidate looks happier 鈥 sunny, even 鈥 on the stump, cracking jokes and sharing personal stories. In an era in which conventional political wisdom has been set ablaze, Sanders has challenged the notion that a major health issue is an automatic death knell for a presidential candidate. His age and health remain serious long-term question marks 鈥 at 79 in Jan. 2021, he would be the oldest person ever inaugurated into office, a fact that could well draw more scrutiny as voting approaches.But so far, at least, Sanders has weathered his heart attack and then some. (Otterbein, 11/13)

Before a campaign event last month, Bernie Sanders and his wife, Jane, went for an hourlong stroll around Green Castle Recreation Area, a lush park in central Iowa with evergreen trees and a small lake. Mr. Sanders also walked around a residential neighborhood in Waterloo recently, prompting curious passers-by to ask him what on earth he was doing there. Ms. Sanders is ensuring that her husband is getting adequate rest, and he has been requesting fish for dinner instead of steak or ribs. (Ember, 11/13)

And in other news from the trail 鈥

An economist who provided analysis for Sen. Elizabeth Warren鈥檚 鈥淢edicare for All鈥 plan offered alternative ways to fund the presidential candidate鈥檚 basket of progressive policy proposals on CNBC on Wednesday. 鈥淚n my mind, I don鈥檛 think I would go the wealth tax way,鈥 Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody鈥檚 Analytics, said on 鈥淪quawk on the Street.鈥 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be pretty tough to execute on that.鈥欌 (Stankiewicz, 11/13)

Kaiser Health News: Listen: Focusing On Health Care Politics

Julie Rovner, the chief Washington correspondent for Kaiser Health News, was on the air Tuesday discussing current health politics and marketplace enrollment issues. She joined New York Times reporter Margot Sanger-Katz to talk with Radio Times host Marty Moss-Coane to break down Democratic presidential candidates鈥 debate on 鈥淢edicare for all鈥 plans and other health initiatives. (11/13)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
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